New York Democrat Anthony Weiner resigned without any evidence he ever committed a crime. Was it because fellow Democrats didn't back him up, even though there's no evidence he was anything more than an Internet exhibitionist. Was it because he lied about tweeting those pictures? Louisiana's Republican Senator David Vitter was re-elected, despite being well known to patronize prostitutes. Was it because he never tweeted at all? Why is one public figure run out of town while another one rides out the storm? Is the private morality of public figures subject to double standards? Should Americans, their leaders and the media be less obsessed with the sex-life of politicians or are they just being human?
The Random Nature of Political Scandal
Credits
Guests:
- Jim Dwyer - columnist for the NYT
- John Portmann - University of Virginia
- Joe Conason - National Memo - @joeconason
- Robert Thompson - Professor of Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University
- Kate Obenshain - Republican Party of Virginia (formerly) - @kateobenshain